The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has launched a scathing attack on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to place Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu on “special leave,” calling it a cowardly maneuver to protect a politician deeply implicated in organised crime.
In a detailed statement issued on Sunday, the EFF accused Ramaphosa of deliberately abusing the Constitution by appointing an acting Minister of Police from outside the Cabinet a move they say violates Section 98 of the Constitution, which restricts such responsibilities to existing Cabinet members.
“This is not just unlawful,” the EFF wrote, “it is a deliberate abuse of the supreme law of the land and a flagrant misuse of state resources.”
The red berets allege that Mchunu is “no longer just a political figure he is the face of an entrenched criminal syndicate operating within the state.” The party claims that Mchunu was directly involved in the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team, an elite investigative unit in KwaZulu-Natal that handled over 600 politically motivated murders and secured more than 100 convictions.
According to evidence presented by KZN Police Commissioner Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Mchunu instructed SAPS Deputy Commissioner Lt Gen Sibiya to dismantle the task team without authorisation from either national or provincial police commissioners. Over 120 politically sensitive case dockets were allegedly withdrawn as a result.
Further allegations tie Mchunu to Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a businessman accused of criminal activity and receiving SAPS tenders while allegedly funding ANC political activities and events associated with Mchunu.
“He is not a custodian of law, but a protector of lawlessness,” the EFF charged.
The EFF also condemned Mchunu’s “special leave” arrangement as an unnecessary drain on public resources, claiming that it allows him to continue drawing a full ministerial salary while avoiding accountability. They insist that Mchunu be removed from office, arrested, and forced to expose the full extent of the criminal syndicate allegedly operating within government and law enforcement.
The EFF concluded its remarks by demanding the immediate formation of an Ad-Hoc Committee in Parliament to investigate the claims made by Lt Gen Mkhwanazi and bring all those involved to justice.
